Embodiments of the invention relate to forming heads used in manufacturing non-woven materials.
In a typical dry-laid process, fiber material is supplied to an enclosed space (sometimes called a forming box or head) through an air stream. The fiber material is mixed and opened (separated into individual fibers) inside the forming head by means of pin-wheels, agitators, and the like. In many instances, the fiber is then passed through some type of screen before being deposited onto a belt (sometimes called a forming wire), through which a vacuum or suction is usually applied to form a sheet or web of fiber material. The intended use of such a screen is to prevent the passage of unopened lumps of fiber. Unfortunately, a screen also impedes the flow of fiber, thereby requiring considerably more vacuum or suction air than is used with a forming head without a screen. The use of a screen is also disadvantageous because it reduces the productive through-put of a forming head, particularly as attempts are made to process fiber of greater length.